Hartburn
by reilert79
Summary: Someone is targeting the Harts...but who? And why? And how far will they go?
1. Chapter 1

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan and Jennifer were sleeping. The whole house was quiet, as it should be at 3 a.m.

They didn't hear someone slip onto the grounds, and climb over the gate. They didn't hear someone stand in their driveway and open up Jennifer's Porsche. And they had no clue that someone put a device under her driver's seat.

After it was done, the figure walked away into the darkness.

***A few hours later***

Jonathan woke up when the alarm went off and held Jennifer a little tighter. He hated having to get out of bed each morning, when he could lie in bed and hold her.

He kissed her gently and got up and went to shower and get dressed.

She was sitting up when he got out of the shower, and she went downstairs with him.

She made him some breakfast and some coffee to go.

"What is your day like darling?"

"Writing an article, missing you".

He chuckled. "Try not to miss me too hard".

She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"If you promise to come straight home to me, it's a deal".

She kissed him. "What's your day like?"

"Well, I have a board meeting this morning, but other than that, I will be in the office all day".

"We could have lunch today if you'd like".

"Sure. Where?"

"How about The Bistro at 1?"

"Perfect".

She kissed him a few times, and then he pulled back.

"If we don't stop, I'll still be here at home when it's time to go to lunch".

She giggled and kissed him again.

"Do we know what time Max will be home?"

"He said by mid-morning".

"He must have really enjoyed his poker tournament".

"I just hope he broke even. It's been nice having the house to ourselves, though".

"Yes, it has". She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you, sailor. See you at 1".

He headed out the door, and she headed upstairs.

She had been writing her article on companies who are committed to dumping waste in an environmentally friendly way. She had several companies to research, and had already researched about 10. She set about calling her sources.

Most of the companies were extremely forthcoming and helpful, and sent her documents on email without her having to ask twice.

However, one company, Cyntrax, wouldn't answer questions, wouldn't give her documents, wouldn't help her at all. She was going to try to reach them again.

She contacted a private investigator that she had worked with in the past, and asked them for information.

She decided to ask Jonathan to let her have one of his investigators.

She got showered and dressed and headed out to meet her husband.

She was in the driveway, and had just locked the house. She used her key fob to remote start her vehicle. Just as she got to the driver's side door, it exploded. She was thrown about 50 feet, and had burns all over her body from the waist up.

Luckily for her, the automatic sprinklers kicked on, and she just so happened to be lying right next to them.

***About an hour later***

Max pulled up to the house and came through the gate.

He drove up the drive and parked by the house, and was getting out when he saw the sprinklers were on.

"Why are the sprinklers on at this time of day?"

He noticed that there was smoke coming from Mrs. H.'s Porsche, and that her windows were missing.

And then he saw her lying over in the sprinklers.

He got out and ran to her, but he couldn't move her.

He ran back to the car, and called 911.

"We need an ambulance at 3100 Willow Pond Drive. Please hurry!".

He stayed on the phone with 911, until the ambulance arrived.

"I'll follow you guys to the hospital".

They were taking her to Cedars Sanai.

He called Hart Industries.

"Kelly, this is Max. I need to speak to Mr. Hart, right away".

She put him through.

"Mr. H., Jennifer is being taken to the hospital. Cedars Sinai. You need to come now, and Mr. H., it's bad. It's pretty damn bad".

***Cedars Sinai***

They brought Jennifer in, and immediately took her back. Max was told to wait in the main waiting room.

Jonathan found him there.

"Max, what happened? How is she?"

"I pulled up and she was lying on the yard, over in the sprinklers. And they were on, Mr. H. Full blast. And her car, all the windows are blown out, and there was smoke coming from the front of it. I didn't investigate that, though, I was so focused on Mrs. H."

"It's alright Max. Did she say anything?"

"Not a word. They told me she was breathing and had a pulse but that's all they said. I didn't ride with her in the ambulance, because I wanted to call you on the way".

"Thanks".

They sat and waited for the doctor. Waiting wasn't exactly Jonathan's strong suit.

He paced, he sat and stared at the wall, he was wringing his hands….Max was drinking coffee like it was going out of style.

Finally, about 2 hours after they had brought her in, the doctor came out to speak with them.

"Mr. Hart, Mr. Brennan, Mrs. Hart is stable, but very critical. She has suffered burns from the torso up. The ones below the breast bone are very minor, and will heal in a day or so. The ones on her face, neck, and shoulders are more serious. They require dressing and medications. They will heal, just not as quickly. Her vitals are good, and her blood pressure is strong and in normal ranges, so that's promising. I got to tell you, she's extremely fortunate that she was able to lay in the sprinklers, because that washed away most of what caused the burns, which prevented further damage. No broken bones, and we are hoping that we got to her in time with the medicines to ward off infections. She is resting comfortably, and will have to be here for a couple weeks."

"Can we see her?"

"Sure, right this way. She's in and out, and might not make sense- but I promise you, she can hear you and understand what you say".

He went in to her room and went to her bedside. She had bandages wrapped all around her from her chest up to her head, and she had a few bandages on her face, but her head wasn't totally wrapped.

He grabbed her hand and held it.

"Darling, I love you so much… I'm here, and Max is here. We are going to get you through this".

She stirred a little bit.

She was trying to talk.  
"Ex….plo….sion….."

"Yes, darling, there was an explosion. You are in the hospital".

She nodded.

"Car….."

"Your car? Your car exploded?"

She nodded.

"We will have the police check it out. Right now, your job is to rest, and focus on getting better".

She opened her eyes, and after a minute, focused on him.

"I…..love…..you".

"Oh, darling, I love you too".

He leaned forward and found a spot on her lips that wasn't burned or bandaged, and gave her a sweet kiss.

She had tears in her eyes.

"Darling, are you in any pain?"

"A….little".

"Well, we will get the nurse to give you something".

Max went to get the nurse so that Jonathan could ask them some questions.

Jonathan was brushing her hair out of her face, and kissing her forehead.

"I'm…..sorry…about…lunch".

"Shhh. Don't worry about that. You couldn't help it. I'm just glad that Max came home and found you when he did".

She nodded.

She grabbed the remote for the bed, and hit the button that would make her sit up.

After she was sitting up some, she lifted her hands and grabbed his face.

She held his face for a bit and rubbed his jaw, like he liked.

"Knight….in shining…..armor".

He chuckled.

"Damsel in distress".

She nodded, and he kissed her again.

He handed her the bottle of water that was on her nightstand, and she drank some.

The nurse came in, with Max.

"Well, Mrs. Hart, glad to see you are alert".

"Nurse, I am Jonathan Hart, Jennifer's husband. I would like to ask you a few questions"

"Go right ahead".

"Do you guys still have the clothes that she was wearing when she was brought in?"

"Yes, they should be right over here." She went and got a bag and handed it to him.

"Thank you".

"Sure".

"What is the treatment like?"

"She will get hydrotherapy every 4-6 hours, and we will change the bandages right after that. For the minor burns, we will apply an ointment, but for the more serious ones, we will apply an ointment and an antibiotic."

"Ok, can she eat, drink?"

"Yes, she can".

"Well, she hasn't had lunch yet today, so can you please get her something? And I am going to need a bed, because I intend to stay overnight with her".

"Ok, I will alert the doctor and be right back".

Jennifer leaned up to kiss him.

"Thank…you…darling". She was speaking barely above a whisper.

"I love you, Jennifer Suzanne".

He kissed her forehead and she leaned back against the bed.

An orderly appeared and had some yogurt and sliced fruit and several bottles of water for Jennifer. The doctor came in right as she had everything opened, and asked to speak to Jonathan in the hall.

"I will be right back, darling".

He kissed her forehead and then went to the hallway.

"Mr. Hart, I know that you want to stay with your wife, but she really needs to rest. We are going to be giving her some heavy duty pain meds and she will be sleeping so heavily that she won't even know that you aren't here, trust me. I think it's best if you went home and got some rest and came back in the morning. Maybe in a few days when she has improved, we can move her to a bigger room where you can stay with her all the time".

He didn't like it, but he reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you, doctor".

He went back in and sat down next to Jennifer.

"Doctor Walker says they are going to give you some heavy duty pain meds so that you will sleep and rest and be good as new."

She nodded. She was finished with her yogurt, and was picking at her fruit.

"Now for the bad news. Doctor Walker says I can't stay tonight, but I can maybe stay in a few days".

She hesitated and then nodded.

"I promise, I am going to be back first thing in the morning, and I will stay as long as they will let me. I love you, you know that."

She nodded.

"I….love…..you…..more".

His heart sank.

"Red, you are amazing."

He kissed her tenderly, and she wrapped her arms around him and started scratching his back.

"Darling, if you start that, I won't ever leave".

She gave him a half-smile.

"I…..ruined…..everything…."

"Darling, you didn't ruin anything. Why would you think that?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"What do you think you ruined?"

"Car…..my face…..our lunch plans…..your day…."

"Darling…. You aren't responsible for this. We are going to find out who is, but I promise it's not you. And lunch plans being canceled aren't the end of the world. And you didn't ruin my day. If anything you made it better, because I get to spend more time with you. And your face, well that's my favoritest face ever, and it's just as gorgeous as it was when I left this morning".

"Do….I…..have…..burns….on….my….face?"

She was speaking slow and deliberate, and her voice was slowly getting stronger.

"You have a bandage at the top of your hairline, and one on the far side of your face, by your right ear. But that's it".

"Will…you….still….love…me….with….scars?"

"There isn't a single thing in the world that would ever change the way I feel about you….scars or not, you are always going to be the love of my life".

He leaned forward and kissed her.

The nurse appeared with Max.

"Mrs. Hart, it's time for your shot of pain meds."

Max came over and kissed her cheek.

"Take care of yourself, Mrs. H. I will see you tomorrow".

"Thank you…..Max….."

He squeezed her hand and then headed to the hallway.

Jonathan looked at Jennifer.

"Ok, darling, I will hold your hand while they give you this shot, and then I am leaving. But I'll be back first thing in the morning".

He held her hand and sang to her, and she didn't even notice the nurse had given her the shot.

He got her all tucked in, and kissed her a few times.

"I love you, and I will be back first thing in the morning".

She nodded, and ran her fingers through his hair a few times.

"I….love….you".

He kissed her again, and then left.

It about killed him to leave her, but he knew that she would rest better without him, since she was always worried about making him feel better when they were together.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan had called the police and asked them to investigate how this happened. They were waiting for him when he pulled up.

He handed the detective the bag with her clothes on it from the hospital.

"Mr. Hart, we determined that someone placed a bomb under the front seat of your wife's car. It was rigged to explode when the car started, give or take about 30 seconds. Did she have any type of remote start device?"

"Yes, she did".

"Do you know if that's a feature that she uses often?"

"I'm not sure".

"Well, what we have gathered so far, is that based on the way she was found, she must not have been in the car when the blast happened. So, if she used remote start, then she was more than likely walking to the car after having started it, and maybe had the door open or was opening the door. The force of the blast was enough to knock her into the yard, and it also activated your sprinkler system. So, either she used remote start and wasn't in the car yet, or the device malfunctioned and she wasn't in the car yet. Either way, she was very fortunate".

He nodded. They were both very fortunate.

"We are going to have to tow your vehicle to the lab so that we can do a complete chemicals test on it. We have taken several pictures, for you to give your insurance person. And of course they can come view it at the lab".

"Thank you".

He took the business card from the investigator and then went inside the house.

The house was too quiet without her. Too quiet.

He made himself a sandwich, and then worked on some paperwork from the office before turning in for the night.

***The next morning***

He woke up and called the hospital, and spoke to the nurse.

"Mrs. Hart had a wonderful night, Mr. Hart. She rested all night long and was in no pain. I changed her bandages and she received hydrotherapy, which will help her heal. She should be awake within the next two hours, I would say".

"Ok thank you".

He hung up and showered and dressed. He packed her a bag with pajama pants, and her favorite pillow cases and her robe, and some pictures of them from her nightstand.

Max was sleeping in, so he left him a note that he had headed to the hospital.

He packed her laptop and the articles she had been working on and brought that with him.

While he drove to the hospital, he called his office and told his secretary that he would be in for the board meeting that day, but that was it, the rest of the time he was going to be with Jennifer.

***Cedars Sinai***

Jonathan had stopped and gotten her some of her favorite tea, and her favorite omelet from a breakfast diner they liked.

He brought it all into her room. She was still sleeping.

He pulled his chair up next to her bed and gently grabbed her hand and held it while he waited for her to wake up.

She was so angelic while she was sleeping.

About 20 minutes later, she woke up and immediately reached for him.

He kissed her a few times, and held her as close as possible.

"How are you feeling?"

"Ok….tired…."

Her voice was much stronger.

"That's the medicine, I'm sure".

"I missed you last night…."

"I missed you too, but the nurse said you slept well".

"Did you sleep? Did you eat dinner last night?"

"I'm fine darling. Promise".

She reached up and stroked his cheek.

"Darling, do you remember anything about the explosion?"

She thought for a minute.

"A little".

"I spoke with the police. They said someone put an explosive device under your front seat. So they think you either used the remote start or it malfunctioned and the force of the blast blew you into the grass and turned the sprinklers on."

"I always do remote start".

"So, now we have to figure out who did this, and why".

She nodded.

"I brought your robe, pajama pants, slippers, your favorite pillowcases, and your favorite blanket, plus your laptop and the files you were working on. And I stopped and got you some tea, and your favorite omelet from Chuck's".

She kissed him. "So sweet to me".

She ate the omelet, and drank the tea and then tried to rest some more. He turned the TV to HGTV for her, since he knew it was her favorite station.

While she was eating, he changed the pillowcase on her pillow to her favorite one, and put her slippers on her feet. After she was finished eating, she shimmied into her pajama pants.

He took the omelet container and threw it away after she was done, and she patted the bed and kept telling him to come sit with her.

He finally crawled in bed next to her and she promptly wrapped her arms around him.

He held her close and kissed her head.

No matter what was going on, sometimes the best medicine was just each other.

***A few days later***

Jonathan had been spending every minute he could with Jennifer. They were moving her today to a new room, where he would be able to spend the night with her.

She was getting better each day, but she wasn't out of the woods just yet. She was still getting the hydrotherapy for the burns on her neck and shoulders, and still had to keep those bandaged and covered in ointment.

She was trying to finish her article, but she still couldn't find anything on Cyntrax and she couldn't get anyone at Cyntrax to talk to her.

Jonathan had a board meeting this morning, and then he was going to be in to spend the rest of the day with her.

He had given Stanley the task of investigating Cyntrax for Jennifer.

Jennifer was lying in her hospital bed, waiting on her breakfast to come. She had ordered 2 eggs, yogurt, and orange juice. She was really hungry, and the nurse had told her yesterday that her appetite returning was a good sign.

A new nurse came in and checked her vitals and asked her lots of questions.

"How did you sleep?"

"Well, thank you."

"Do you have any lingering memories of what happened to you?"

"Not really".

"Has the doctor told you about whether or not you will have scars or permanent damage?"

"We haven't really talked about it".

Jennifer was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

She looked at her nametag and noticed that the nurses name was Leslie.

Leslie finished taking her vitals and then told her to ring the nurse's desk if she needed something.

Jennifer was impatient waiting on Jonathan. She wanted desperately to wash her hair and soak in a tub.

They had been letting her have baby wipe baths, but it wasn't the same.

She leaned back on her bed and tried to get some sleep.

She was sleeping soundly enough that she didn't hear anyone come in her room.

She certainly didn't see anyone else standing near her with a pillow in their hands.

She was having a nightmare, and she started moaning.

The person with the pillow chose to come back later, since she wasn't sleeping deeply, and snuck out.

Jennifer heard the door shut, and woke up. She was confused. She knew she had heard the door shut, but there wasn't anyone in her room. Nothing in the room looked different, and nothing was out of place. It didn't make sense. If someone wanted to speak with her, they would have woken her up. But who would just come in and then leave?

She settled back against the bed and pulled the covers up around her, and fell back asleep.

As soon as she fell asleep, she started dreaming about the explosion again. She woke up with a start, and felt worse than before.

She grabbed the phone and called Jonathan's office.

"Hey Kelly, is Jonathan still in the meeting?"

"It's just about to begin".

"Can you see if he will talk to me for just a second?"

"Sure, let me check".

She put Jennifer on hold, and went into Mr. Hart's office.

"Mr. Hart, your wife is on the phone and she wants to know if you will talk to her for just a second?"

"I'll do more than that. Put her through, thanks Kelly. Excuse me, gentlemen, one second".

He picked up the phone. 'Hi, darling, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just needed to hear your voice. I have been having nightmares and Jonathan, I swear someone came in my room earlier but when I opened my eyes there wasn't anyone in here. And this new nurse came in and was being very strange".

"Well, I think you are out of sorts, and you need to rest some more. As soon as this meeting is done, I will be there with you, I promise. Can I bring you anything?"

"How about some tea and my favorite lunch from the Bistro?"

"You got it. I love you, darling. See you soon".

"Love you more".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan hung up the phone.

"I apologize, gentlemen. My wife is in the hospital and she's just a little out of sorts. As soon as we get this merger taken care of, I am heading to the hospital".

They got down to business. Stanley showed them on slides the company they were looking to purchase. It was a company named Stormco. They manufactured plastic containers in all shapes and sizes.

"This would be a great merger for Hart Industries".

After Stanley's presentation, they agreed to vote on it. The board voted that more information was needed, so Stanley was sent to investigate in person.

Jonathan adjourned the meeting, and met with Stanley about the company he was investigating for Jennifer.

He had a rather thick file of information for her.

"This was all I could find out".

"Thank you, Stanley. I will take it to her".

Jonathan packed up everything and headed to the hospital. He wasn't going to be in for the rest of the week.

"Kelly, Stanley and Richard are in charge if something comes up. I can be reached at Cedars, if there is an emergency".

"Ok, and give my best to Mrs. Hart".

"Will do".

He headed out and picked up her tea and lunch from the Bistro, and headed to her hospital room.

***Cedars Sinai***

Jennifer was sleeping, and didn't hear Jonathan come in. He set down her lunch and her tea quietly, and went over and placed her file on top of her computer. He leaned down and kissed her a few times, and she woke up instantly, and put her arms around him.

He climbed in bed and sat next to her and embraced her.

"How are you feeling?"

"About the same, just confused by everything."

He kissed her head and snuggled her close.

"I missed you".

"I am so ready for a different room so that we can stay in the room together. Scratch that-I want to go home!"

"I know, but the important thing is that you are healthy and healing".

The doctor came in to talk to her then.

Jonathan got up and sat in a chair next to the bed, and held her hand while they changed her dressings.

The doctor explained that she was healing well enough to be moved up a floor, and should be going home this weekend.

"Can I wash my hair and take a long shower?"

"Not too long. 10 minutes max. But, I will see about getting you some waterproof bandages so that you can shower and wash your hair."

After the dressings were changed, the doctor asked the nurse to check her vitals before they moved her upstairs.

"Oh the other nurse checked them. Nurse Leslie, I believe".

"Nurse Leslie?"

The doctor and the nurse looked at each other.

"Yes, Nurse Leslie".

"Mrs. Hart, we don't have a nurse Leslie on this floor".

***Upstairs***

The doctor had signed her release to another floor, and the nurse had ordered a wheelchair for her.

Jonathan packed up her things and carried them while the nurse pushed her upstairs.

She got all settled into her new room, and they ordered a bed for Jonathan.

"Darling, Stanley gave me this file for you. It's everything he uncovered on that company"

"Perfect".

The nurse took her dressings off and put some waterproof bandages on her burns that were still open. She happily jumped up and headed to the shower and Jonathan set a timer for her.

"Yell if you need help, darling".

He unpacked for her while she showered, and got her some fresh pajama pants and a fresh tank top.

The timer went off and he went to the bathroom to tell her.

She was already out, and drying off.

"Darling, can you put some ointment on my burns before I get dressed?"

"Certainly".

She was in the best spirits he had seen her in all week.

After he put the ointment on her, she turned and embraced him and kissed him a few times.

"You think if we stay in here, they will notice?"

"Yes, I do. Best thing to do is to get you home where nobody will notice".

He kissed her again.

She went and put on her new pajamas and tank top, and he helped her back into bed after she did. She ate her lunch and then his bed arrived, and he made it up while she finished.

They lowered the two inside bedrails, so they could sleep next to each other.

He had just wrapped his arms around her and settled in for a nap when the room phone rang.

It was Lt. Grey.

"Jonathan the tests came back and proved that it was a bomb, and the chemical they used was supposed to be extremely deadly."

"No clue as to who did it?"

"None. Any fingerprints or identifying marks were lost in the blast".

"Ok, so what happens now?"

"We will keep investigating, but without anything else to go on, we are kind of stuck.

"If anything else comes up, I will let you know".

They hung up. He filled Jennifer in.

"I just don't understand why someone would want to hurt me. I mean, you are the one that's more in the news than I am. You are the one that would have more enemies than I do, because of the business world. Not that it's ok for them to blow you up, but still…I just can't figure why they would want to blow up my car".

"I can't either, darling. And I also don't think it was random, either".

Jennifer got up and started working on her article again, while Jonathan napped some. The information that Stanley got for her was very helpful.

She was able to finish the rough draft of the article, and was proofreading it when Jonathan woke up.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"How long has it been since the nurse came in?"

"I don't know, an hour maybe?"

"Think we have enough time to…get reacquainted?"

"Jonathan! We cannot do that in here…..what if they walk in on us?"

"If we are fast enough, they won't".

"I want to enjoy it".

He started kissing her neck.

"Darling…that isn't going to end well…"

"It always ends well for me…"

"Tonight….I will tell the nurse I have a headache and ask for some aspirin. After she gives it to me, then we can….get reacquainted".

She put her stuff back on the table and pushed it away, and then curled up in his arms.

He was kissing her and she was running her fingers through his hair… she was trying to control herself, but one thing led to another and before she knew it….they were giving in to their passion, right there in the hospital.

Thankfully, they weren't interrupted, and she was able to get dressed again before anyone entered her room.

Jonathan had redressed also, and was still laying in the bed next to her.

"Do you want hospital food for dinner, or do you want me to have something delivered?"

"I want something delivered…something yummy".

"How about La Scala?"

"You know me so well". She grabbed his chin and kissed him.

She leaned against his shoulder while he called and placed their order.

"I am so ready to go home….wonder when they will let me out of here?"

"Doctor said this weekend. Just a few more days."

"Darling…is it safe to go home?"

"Yes, I think so. I have been staying there all week and haven't had any problems".

She nodded, but she still felt uneasy.

The doctor came in shortly after dinner, and checked her wounds.

"How long till I can go home, doctor?"

"Well, as long as you keep putting the dressings and ointment on, I don't see why you can't go home tomorrow. You are healing very well. I don't think there will be any permanent scarring, and with your fair skin, you won't be able to really tell anyways. I will send the nurse in to teach you exactly how to do the dressings and give you some supplies. Now, for your at home instructions. No soaking in a hot tub or pool without a waterproof bandage till your burns are completely closed. Try to keep them covered in the shower as well. And your skin is very tender still, you will want to avoid large amounts of sun if you can. Other than that, you should be just fine".

"Thank you, doctor".

He shook hands with both of them, and then went to find the nurse.

Jonathan snuggled with her in bed, and she dozed on his shoulder a little. He woke her up when the food got there.

After they ate, he sat behind her and gave her a back rub, being careful to avoid the burns. She had the TV on HGTV, but she was really just focusing on Jonathan.

He brushed her hair for her, and cradled her in his arms. He had missed touching her and loving on her so much.

She fell asleep around 10, and he cozied up to her and fell asleep himself.

***The next morning***

Jonathan woke up first, and stared at Jennifer while she was sleeping. She looked so angelic.

She had slept all night long and hadn't woken up once. Both of them always slept better when they were together, except for when they were sick.

The nurse came in and checked her vitals and removed her IV, now that she was eating well. Jonathan ordered them breakfast from the cafeteria. He was laying in the bed, holding her, when movement outside the door caught his eye. He saw the same nurse walk by 3 times in quick succession, and every time she did, she looked into the room, caught his gaze and walked on.

She woke up just before their breakfast arrived, and he helped her get another shower.

He buzzed the nurse's desk, and asked them if they could bring her some scrub pants, and a fresh towel. She had no pants to wear home, so they were going to have to be creative.

She got out of the shower and he applied more ointment to her burns for her. She wasn't very talkative this morning.

"Did you sleep ok? Shower feel good?"

She nodded. "I guess".

After he was done, he embraced her, and kissed her a couple times.

"I'm sorry you have to take care of me, darling".

"Jennifer, there is nothing to apologize for. You didn't cause this, and even if you did, I would happily take care of you. In sickness and in health, remember?"

She nodded.

Their breakfast arrived so they climbed back in bed and ate, waiting for the doctor.

He showed up, examined her burns and declared her well enough to go home. He gave her some aftercare instructions and then told them as soon as they signed discharge papers, they were good to go.

Jonathan helped her get packed up, and the nurse gave her some scrub pants to wear home, since she didn't have any regular clothes.

They were packed in about 10 minutes, and he went to load the car while she waited on the discharge papers.

After he got the car loaded, he went back up to her room. It was completely empty. Jennifer was nowhere in sight.

He asked at the nurses desk, but nobody had seen her.

He looked in every room of the floor, but found nothing.

Jennifer was totally gone.


	2. Chapter 2

***Chapter 2***

Jonathan was frantic. He had looked all over the hospital, and couldn't find Jennifer.

The nurses insisted that they saw her leave with him.

"Isn't it hospital policy to be pushed out in a wheelchair?"

"Yes, it is".

"Well, then who did you see pushing her out of the hospital?"

They couldn't answer.

"Look, I am not accusing anyone, I just want my wife back. But, I am telling you right now, if you don't find her, I will tie this hospital up in so much litigation, that it will stretch on for decades. There will be so much bad press that not even people at death's door will want to be treated here. I don't care what you have to do, just find my wife".

Jonathan waited in what had been Jennifer's room. He kept looking around, trying to see if anything could give him a clue as to what happened, but there was nothing that was amiss. They had already taken her bed linens and gotten his bed out of there.

He went to the bathroom, and looked all through the shower and on the floor of the bathroom. Over in the corner, he spotted it. He knelt down, and picked it up and realized that it was her anniversary ring. She wore it on her right hand. It was a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring. Both of their birthstones.

The head of security came and told him that they had checked the cameras and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and that he saw no reason to involve the police.

"We have put her picture at all of the nurse's desks, and every department, so if she turns up in the hospital, we will contact you. Best wishes, Mr. Hart".

He left, and Jonathan just sat there. That's it? Best wishes? What the hell was he supposed to do with that.

He called Lt. Grey, and left an urgent message for him to call Jonathan.

Dejected, and defeated, he headed home, alone.

***In the car***

He decided to hit all of her favorite spots, just in case they got their signals crossed and she had left the hospital voluntarily.

She wasn't at any of them.

He checked the beach house last, and when she wasn't there, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He stood on the terrace looking at the ocean for about 30 minutes.

Then, he figured he better get back to searching for her.

He left her a note, just in case.

"Darling…I love you. Always have, always will. -J".

He locked up and headed back to the car.

He used the bag phone to call the house, but there was no answer.

***Willow Pond***

He pulled up and parked and ran inside.

"Jennifer? Baby, are you here?"

Max came running.

"Mr. H., are you ok?!"

"No, Max. Jennifer disappeared from the hospital. I was loading the car and when I came back to get her she was gone. The security guy said he saw nothing amiss on the videotapes. But she isn't in that hospital. And I don't know where she is".

Just then, the phone rang. He went and picked it up.

It was Lt. Grey.

"Herschel, thanks for calling me back." Jonathan explained everything to him, and Lt. Grey promised he would go and look at the tapes himself.

"I promise, I'll get back to you, Jonathan".

***Downtown LA***

Jennifer was laying on a bed. She slowly opened her eyes. Her head hurt pretty badly, but other than that and her burns, she seemed to be ok.

She tried to sit up, but it hurt her head to much. She saw there was a bottle of water on the nightstand. She examined it, and saw that it was still sealed. She couldn't see any evidence that it had been tampered with, so she opened it and drank a sip. After realizing it was plain water, she drank some more.

Her head was pounding. She couldn't do anything but lie still. She looked at her hands and saw that she still had her wedding ring. However, her anniversary ring was missing. She recalled that Jonathan had gone to load up the car and she had stepped into the bathroom. Someone grabbed her from behind and they struggled, and her ring must have slipped off in the process. Last thing she remembered was being hit in the head.

Jonathan. He must be so worried about her.

'I have to get back to him. He needs me.' She tried to sit up again, but her head was still throbbing. So, she laid back down.

She decided to try again after a nap.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan was miserable. He couldn't figure it out. Nothing was making sense. He had no choice but to sit and wait, but that's what he isn't good at it. And what if she was hurt? She needed him….he had to find her.

Max tried to console him, but it was no use.

He and Max were sitting on the couch, and Jonathan was nursing a scotch.

The gate buzzed and Max got up to answer it.

"It's Stanley. I need to see Mr. Hart right away".

Jonathan nodded.

"Come on up".

Max opened the gate and then a few minutes later, opened the door.

"Hi Max."

"Come on in, he's on the couch".

"Hi Mr. Hart. I am sorry to bother you at home, but this is major. I did some more digging into StormCo., like you asked me to. And, I believe that it's a fake company. So, I kept digging, and found that it's actually a front for Cyntrax, the company that you had me investigate for Mrs. Hart. I went back over what I found on Cyntrax for Mrs. Hart, and figured out that they are into illegal dumping. You might remember that several years ago, there was a company that was shut down because of illegal dumping- it was called Meridian Corp. Well, Meridian Corp., sold their warehouse, bought another one down the river, and opened back up as Cyntrax. And they also own the company that bought the warehouse from them. So, with all due respect sir, I don't think Hart Industries should go through with this merger. I looked up the owner and he seems to be a very violent person".

"Who is the owner, Stanley?"

"Fred Brunis".

"Fred Brunis? I thought he was still in jail".

"According to what I found, he was released from prison about 4 years ago on parole. And he married soon after his release from prison, and then his wife died unexpectedly, and he inherited this company from her, as it had been her late husband's company".

Jonathan was starting to think this was about more than what they had uncovered.

"Stanley, I am going to tell you something and you cannot tell anyone else. I don't want this in the press. Jennifer is missing. She was discharged from the hospital and she disappeared while I was loading the car. I started to think that maybe someone blew up her Porsche because of the article she was writing, but after what you just told me, I can't say that for sure. Fred Brunis was at our wedding, and a few years ago, he was behind the plot to split us up."

"So, are you saying that he took her to get her to stop digging, or to get back at you for the failed plot?"

"Both. With him, there really is no telling."

Jonathan picked up the phone and called his private investigator and had him investigate Fred Brunis, plus all of his companies.

He then called the security firm that he used for Hart Industries and asked them to be extra watchful of all the employees and the grounds, and had them put extra security outside Stanley's home.

He hung up.

"Just continue to run the company, Stanley. I won't be back till I know Jennifer is ok".

"Ok, Mr. Hart. And thanks for the extra security".

"Thank you for all your help, Stanley".

Max showed him out and Jonathan debated on whether or not to call Herschel. He decided to let the PI dig up some stuff first.

His heart ached. He wanted her back now, and not a minute longer. 8 years later, and they were still newlyweds in every sense of the word. This was not going to be easy.

***Downtown LA***

Jennifer was still tired but she was able to sit up. Her shoulders and neck were aching, as she hadn't had any ointment for her burns.

She looked around and found that someone had left her some breakfast. Sliced fruit, toast and water. She kept looking around and realized she was in a room of someone's home. She had a normal, regular bed. She had a closet with clothes in it. She had a television, and a few bookcases stocked with books. There was even a nice recliner by the window to sit in. She got up and walked around some, and went over to the window. She looked out and saw that she was high up, and she could see the Hart Industries building off in the distance.

She picked at her breakfast, and drank the water. She selected a book and tried to read but wasn't into it. Out of desperation, she turned the television on and started to flip channels. She flipped all the way through, and, then came back around to the beginning, and found a channel that seemed to be of the house she was in. She recognized the architecture, and realized it was a closed camera view of the rest of the house. She started looking around nonchalantly and was trying to see if there were any cameras in her room. She found one, on top of the bookshelf.

She turned the TV to a local channel, and went to lay back in the recliner.

She had no choice but to just wait until her captors came in to her to find out more about why she had been taken.

***Willow Pond***

Now that Jonathan knew Fred Brunis was behind Jennifer's kidnapping, he was trying to figure out what to do.

He knew that if he called the police with this, they wouldn't have enough for a search warrant.

He was going through the mail and saw an invitation to a gala for tomorrow night. He and Jennifer always attended that event together. He couldn't imagine going now, nothing without her was worth doing.

He kept going through the mail, and at the very bottom, there was plain envelope addressed to him. No return address. He opened it and found a small card, the kind that was blank on the inside and you write your own message. He opened it and started reading.

"Jennifer will be my date tonight at the gala. If you want to see your wife, show up. You will see her from across the room. You will not be able to speak to her, or touch her. Baby steps….."

Jonathan had no choice now. He had to go to the gala. He looked over the details of the invitation.

It was at the LA Museum of Art, and it was couples only, no singles admitted. He reluctantly went upstairs and got his tux out, and was going to have Max send it to the cleaners and have them get it ready. He felt so wrong about going without Jennifer, but he would do whatever it takes to see her again.

He was determined that seeing her wasn't all he was going to do, regardless of what the letter said.

He called Stanley at the office.

"Stanley- find me a date. Someone in the company. Tomorrow night, for the gala. I don't care who it is, I just have to have a date for this event. Yes, I'm sure. I got a note in the mail that said Jennifer would be there, and I would be able to see her, but you can't get in unless you have a date, so I need a date".

"Ok, Mr. Hart, I will see what I can do".

"Tell whomever it is, that I will pay for their expenses, no matter the cost. And, thank you, Stanley".

Jonathan hung up. He needed a drink. Who cares if it's only 11 a.m.?

He sipped his whisky and stared at a picture of them.

"Come back to me, Red".

***Downtown LA***

Jennifer wanted a shower, but she didn't want the cameras to watch her. She went to the closet and selected an outfit. She found a box at the top of the closet. She emptied it, and went over to the bookshelf. She grabbed several books, and then took them to the closet and filled the box. She went and grabbed the recliner and moved it so that it was flush with the bookshelves, and climbed up on it. She lifted the box and put it on the top of the bookshelf, and slid it in front of the camera. She climbed down and put the chair back.

She started thinking….and then decided to move the chair up against the door. She didn't want anyone coming in and surprising her while she was in the shower.

She got the door blocked by the chair, and then went into the bathroom. She inspected the bathroom, and found it to be a regular, normal bathroom. Shower stall, nice large vanity, stocked with all of her usual items. She found several nice, plush towels and a fluffy robe hanging in the bathroom.

She was able to lock the door to the bathroom, and even though she did that, and had blocked the door to the bedroom, she still took a very quick shower. She didn't find any bandages, so she didn't take hers off. She put the fluffy robe on, and then came out and moved the chair back.

She had just gotten dressed when a lady opened the door and brought her a tray containing lunch.

"Well, it's nice to see you are awake. I brought you some lunch".

"Thank you".

"You seem nervous. Are you ok?"

"Not really. Why am I being held here?"

"Mr. Brunis wants to get back at your husband. I'm sorry, that's all I know".

"Can you get me something, please?"

"Sure. What do you need? We want you to be comfortable here".

"Well, I have burns on my neck and shoulders and I was prescribed an ointment, and was told to put waterproof bandages on them. I couldn't find any bandages and I need the ointment because it's very painful without it".

"I will see what I can do".

"Thank you. Do you know how long I will be here?"

"That's up to your husband, ma'am".

Jennifer nodded.

She recognized the lady as "Leslie", and realized that this was all calculated and planned.

"If you need something, pick up the phone and dial 1".

Leslie left the room again, and Jennifer sank down onto the bed.

***The next night***

Jonathan was getting ready for the gala. Stanley had found Paige in accounting, who was willing to go to the gala with him. He had sent Max to her house to pick her up.

He had called his private investigator to meet him at the house at 5.

The PI buzzed the gate, and Jonathan let him in.

He opened the door.

"Hi Jake, thanks for coming."

"Glad to help".

"I am going to the gala tonight, and I received a letter in the mail that Jennifer would be there, and that I could see her, but not touch her or talk to her. I would like to wear a wire of some kind so that if I can talk to Fred Brunis, I can record what he says for the police. Do you have anything for me?"

Jake opened his suitcase. "I have this pen that is a microphone, and you put it in your pocket, it looks like a regular pen. I have this clip on microphone, it clips on to your pocket, and you can cover it with a handkerchief, and it will record everything. I have this one, that's video and audio….."

"I will take the video and audio one".

"Ok, so when you get back home, you need to plug this into a computer and it will download everything that you recorded."

Jonathan wrote him a check and handed it to him.

"Did you find anything on Fred Brunis yet?"

"He seems to be reclusive. He doesn't really leave his house. He runs his company out of his house. I did find that his parole ended and he is no longer required to report to anyone."

"That's good, because that means these charges will stick for longer".

Jonathan saw Jake out, and thanked him profusely.

Max and Paige arrived.

"Thank you for doing this for me. I want you to know that I am only going so that I can see my wife. This is a business arrangement between you and me."

"I understand, sir".

"So, we will pose for photographs going in, and then dance once or twice to make it look normal. If I have to leave for any reason, I will make sure that you get home safely, don't worry. And I really appreciate you doing this for me".

They headed out, and Jonathan had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hoped that Jennifer understood that he was just playing along and trying to do whatever he could to get her back.


	3. Chapter 3

***LA Gala***

Jonathan and Paige pulled up to the museum. He opened the door for her, and stuck out his arm, which she took.

Photographers were going crazy taking their picture. Everyone was shouting questions at them, and asking where Jennifer was.

He had a smile in every picture, but it was hard to make it look real. All he wanted was Jennifer.

They went inside and checked in, and were given their table assignments. They went and sat down, and he went and got them a drink. He was trying to be polite and pay attention to her, but he was scanning every face looking for Jennifer.

Paige went and got them plates from the buffet. He tried to eat, but it was hard to focus.

"Do you see her anywhere?"

"Not yet."

"Well, if they said she would be here, I am sure she will be".

"I hope so. Otherwise I would have stayed home."

"I understand".

They decided to go to the dance floor, so that he could see everyone a little better.

As soon as they stepped out on the dance floor, a spotlight followed them.

They tried to act normal and dance like normal people, but Paige knew his heart wasn't in it. He was only looking for his wife. She wasn't offended, since she knew going in what was going on. She just hoped other people weren't pitying her, since Jonathan was being rather obvious.

After their dance had ended, he asked Paige to go to the ladies room and see if Jennifer was in there. She agreed.

He stepped into the men's room himself, but nobody was in there. He had been hoping to see Fred Brunis.

He came out, and found Paige. She shook her head no.

They went back to their table. People were coming up to him and saying hi.

He introduced Paige to everyone, and nobody asked where Jennifer was. They all just looked really uncomfortable.

He set up a few business meetings and then went to get them more drinks. He purposely walked across the room from their table to the farthest bar, just so he could look for Jennifer.

On his way back from the bar, he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Please make your way to the men's room by the staircase if you want to see your wife".

"Give me 5 minutes".

He took the drinks back to the table, told Paige he would be right back and headed to the men's room.

***Downtown LA***

Jennifer was watching TV. She found a local access station that was covering the gala. She smiled remembering all the years that she and Jonathan had gone to the gala and how much fun they had had. She was watching the red carpet arrivals, and saw Jonathan get out of the limo.

'How nice of him to still go, without me', she thought. That's Jonathan, charitable to a fault.

Then she saw his date. 'He took a date? I haven't been gone a week!'

She was hurt. She recognized the girl as a Hart Industries employee. She couldn't believe it and she didn't want to watch anything else. She turned the TV off and laid down and went to sleep.

***Gala***

Jonathan went to the men's room, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to leave when Fred Brunis entered.

"Hello Jonathan. Fancy meeting you here".

"Where is she?"

"Now Jonathan, is that anyway to address an old friend? It's been years since we've seen each other".

"Cut the crap, and let me see my wife. I know you have her".

"You're right, I do have her. And I will let you see her, in due time".

"What do you want?"

"Well, your wife was sticking her nose in where it didn't belong. So, we had to teach her a lesson. And then, I figured, I would teach you one too. So, that's why she had to come with me".

"Why teach me a lesson?"

"Because you had me sent to prison all those years ago, that's why. And I'm sick and tired of your company being a global leader and my company struggling to keep up. So, I figured if I took out your most prized possession, then you would abandon your business and my company could come in and take the lead. Now, before you freak out, I haven't hurt Jennifer. She is being well taken care of, I promise you that".

"You said I could see her, let me see her".

Fred pulled out an Ipad, and showed him the live feed of Jennifer's room.

"Oh, well it appears that your wife is smarter than we took her for. She blocked the camera. Sorry. Guess you will just have to keep waiting it out".

Jonathan reared back and punched Fred 4 times perfectly in the jaw. It felt great. He had it coming. He didn't even care that security came and hauled him out of the building, or that his photo ended up in the paper. He didn't care.

Just before they put him in the cop car, he asked them to please make sure that his date, Paige Watkins, got home ok. The police assured him that she would be taken care of.

He called Max from the station, and Max came and picked him up.

He was more despondent than Max had ever seen him.

He wouldn't say anything other than "it was all a trick".

***Downtown LA***

Jennifer woke up with a start. She was dreaming again, about Jonathan. She was trying to talk to him and he wasn't listening. She started walking away and he didn't even notice.

She got up and started walking around, and turned a light on.

She went and looked out the window. What she wouldn't give for fresh air.

She figured she was about 20 stories up, so she knew she couldn't climb out the window. She tried to open it, and couldn't. It had been painted shut.

She went to the bathroom and tried to open that one. It was also painted shut. She started looking around the bathroom, and opened the drawers. She found a nail kit. She dug out the nail file, and started to scrape away the paint along the seams of the window. Finally, she was able to budge the window open just a bit. She stuck her head out there, and saw a beautiful sight. There was a terrace, just below the window.

She went and put her shoes on, and then climbed out onto the terrace. She carefully followed it, and found herself next to a rose trellis. She carefully climbed down the trellis, and got all the way to the ground. She had no clue where she was, so she started walking, keeping the skyline in sight. She was free, and just had to get back to Jonathan.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan came in and went straight upstairs. He had refused Max's lecture, telling him that he had been set up. He called Paige and left her a message stating that he was sorry and that he really hoped she had gotten home ok. He took his tux off, and got in the shower.

Life without Red didn't make sense.

The media was calling with tons of questions, but he didn't want to answer any of them. He put the phone off the hook, and put on his pajamas.

He was only hoping that he would be able to easily fall asleep.

***LA***

Jennifer made it to Hart Industries in about 20 minutes. She went inside through an unlocked door and found a phone. She called the house, but got nothing but busy signals.

She called Susan Kendall, and got no answer. Everyone she knew was probably at that damn benefit.

She went upstairs to Jonathan's office, and got some cash out of his desk. She left him a sweet love note, and called a cab.

She was heading back to the elevator, when Stanley came out of his office.

"Mrs. Hart? When did you get here? Are you ok?"

"Yes. Just now. Is Jonathan with you?"

"No, he's not."

"Listen, I need you to call him and tell him to meet me at the beach house".

"I will try, but I don't know that I can".

"Why not?"

"He and Paige Watkins went to the gala tonight, and he got arrested. He punched someone in the bathroom".

"What?"

"Why don't I take you to the police station?"

"No, actually, can you just take me to Willow Pond?"

"Yes, right away".

She and Stanley got in the car and he drove her to Willow Pond.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan couldn't sleep. He sat up and took the phone off the hook and ordered a pizza. After he hung it back up, it rang right away.

"Hello?"

"I am going to give you one more chance. If you want to see your wife, then come to the Pier tomorrow at 1. I will bring her with me this time. We can talk about you selling me Hart Industries in exchange for Jennifer".

"Brunis, I am not falling for that again".

He slammed the phone down in anger. He remembered the microphone in his tux, and went and got it and went and plugged it into a computer. Nothing could be saved, because you couldn't clearly hear what had been said.

He headed back upstairs to bed.

Just as he got into bed, the phone rang. It was Stanley.

"Mr. Hart, I am at your gate. I have something very important for you".

"Whatever it is, Stanley, I am not interested. It can wait. Sorry you wasted a trip out here".

He hung the phone up, and silenced the gate buzzer. He took the phone off the hook as well. He turned the light out and went to sleep.

***At the gate***

Jennifer was stunned. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't at least see what Stanley had for him. They called back but it was busy.

"Well, if you don't mind, could you take me to the beach house?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. Hart. Right away".

He drove her to the beach house and she paid him for gas. He waited till she was inside before he drove away.

She called the police right then, and reported that Fred Brunis had been holding her hostage and that she had escaped.

Lt. Grey came to the beach house and personally took her statement.

"Did you call Jonathan yet?"

"I did more than that, I got a ride to our house. But he wouldn't let us in, and now he has the phone off the hook".

"He's had a bad night. I will see if I can get ahold of him."

Lt. Grey sent a uniform officer to Willow Pond.

He called him several times from the beach house phone, but it was still busy. Jennifer gave him Max's private number, but that one was busy too.

A few minutes later, the uniformed officer radioed in that he was at Willow Pond, and he was buzzing the gate, but nobody was answering.

"Well, why don't you get some rest, and surely, at some point tomorrow, you will be able to get ahold of him?"

She nodded, because she had no other choice.

She insisted that she didn't need to get checked out at the hospital.

"We are going to go take Mr. Brunis in for questioning. We will keep you updated".

She saw them out and headed up to the third floor. After a nice hot shower, she fell asleep.

***The next morning***

Max left for the horse races and an overnight poker game. Jonathan decided to stay home and not go anywhere. He literally had a full day of not turning on the television, not reading the paper, and not leaving the house. He napped in the hammock, he sat by the pool, and he grilled out steaks and veggies when he was hungry.

It was a very relaxing day, the only thing that would make it better would be if Jennifer was with him. He was starting to doubt that Fred Brunis had her at all. He was an opportunist, and he would literally say anything to make Jonathan think that he had Jennifer even if he didn't.

He recalled their conversation. Fred was the one who brought her up, not Jonathan. So, dammit, he probably did have her.

His hand was sore from hitting him, but he wasn't remorseful about it. Fred Brunis deserved that and more.

Jonathan just wanted Jennifer back. Nothing else mattered to him right now. He tried to have a positive outlook, but he was failing.

He went upstairs and laid down, and literally didn't care if he ever woke up again.

***Beach house***

Jennifer was upset. She just knew that someone would have been able to get through to Jonathan today, but that hadn't been the case. She had called and called and called, and got a busy signal every single time. She knew that nobody else had been able to get to him either, because if they had, he would have come right to her. She was sure of that.

She picked up the phone and called Susan Kendall. She answered on the third ring.

"Susan, hi. It's Jennifer".

"Jennifer, hi! How are you healing?"

"Good. Listen, it's a long story but someone took me from the hospital, and I am at the beach house. I am trying to get in touch with Jonathan, but he won't answer the phone. I have an idea, and I am hoping you will help me".

"Sure."

"Can you come to the beach house?"

"Absolutely. I will see you in about 20 minutes".

She hung up, and went and spruced up some.

She let Susan in when she heard the knock at the door.

"What is your plan?"

"Well, I am thinking that you could drop me off at the neighbor's, and I could climb the fence".

"No, you cannot. You will hurt yourself. Listen, he can't keep the phone off the hook forever. Let's call him one more time".

She picked up the phone and called Willow Pond. Busy.

"What about the back of your property? Is there a gate or anything that you could use?"

"Nope. Solid Fence, 8 ft. high".

"Is there a backup battery attached to the gate?"

"Nope. And he probably turned off the gate buzzer, because last night not even the police could get him to answer".

"Hmm….there has to be a way. We just have to figure it out."

"I have literally thought of everything. Short of climbing the fence, I don't know what else to do".

Susan could see she was near tears.

"I know that you want to get to him. I get it. But you cannot put your own health and safety at risk".

Jennifer knew she was right. She was kicking herself for insisting that they change the gate a few years ago to a flat gate, without any openings.

"I am going to kill him when he finally answers the phone".

She called Max's private line, and it just rang and rang. She called both of their home lines, and they were both busy.

She even called the car phone, and got no answer.

Susan stayed a little longer and then left again, and told her to call her when she got a response.

Jennifer poured herself some wine and went and sat on the terrace.

She tried to not cry, but it was impossible. She missed him so much.

She went inside and made dinner. She called him a few more times, but still got a busy signal.

She thought about having flowers delivered to the house but how would he get them? She thought about calling a cab and going there and hoping the gate buzzer was on, but didn't want to waste the money if it was off. She was so mad at him for doing that. She kept thinking she was going to let him have it when she finally got him on the phone. But she knew deep down, she wouldn't. She would just be so happy to be with him that it wouldn't matter.

She was just going to have to wait it out.

Just after dinner, Stanley rang the beach house doorbell.

"Hi, come on in".

"Have you gotten to see him yet?"  
"No".

"I think I have something that will help."


	4. Chapter 4

***Willow Pond***

Stanley and Jennifer pulled up to Willow Pond. Just for fun, they rang the buzzer. Still no answer.

"Ok, so here's the plan. We are going to fire up the drone, and you can look at it on this screen, through the camera. We can attach your note to it, and when we get to the door, we can extend this hand to ring the doorbell. He opens the door, sees the note and lets us in".

"Oh, god, I hope this works".

"You can also talk to him through this part right here".

"Where did you get this?"

"I invented it".

"You should show it to Jonathan."

"I have. He wasn't interested".

They started up the drone, and Jennifer opened the app on the IPAD. It took a few minutes for them to get the drone to the front door, but they managed. They rang the doorbell, and waited.

The note on the front said "I have Jennifer with me, open the gate please".

She had put on lipstick and left a kiss mark on the bottom of the note.

They had to ring the bell a few times, but finally he answered it. He saw the drone and read the note.

As soon as she saw him, she started talking to him.

"Darling…open the gate, it's me".

He looked so hot standing there in his pajama bottoms.

He went and opened the gate and came back to the door. Stanley drove her up the driveway.

Jennifer flew out of the car and into his arms.

"We can talk later, Mr. Hart".

Stanley handed him the note, and then left. He and Jennifer went inside.

After a long embrace, she exploded at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I have been calling you for 24 hours now! I came by twice… what the hell, Jonathan?"

"I took the phone off the hook because I didn't want to talk to the media. What do you mean you came by twice?"

"I escaped from Fred Brunis' place last night and made my way to Hart Industries. I used the phone to call you, no answer. I got some cash out of your desk and called a cab, but Stanley was there. He gave me a ride here, but when he buzzed at the gate you wouldn't let him in. We tried again, and you didn't answer. So, he took me to the beach house. I have been calling you all night from the beach house. I even called Susan Kendall and asked her to drive me out here so I could climb the gate, but she wouldn't do it because she said it wasn't safe. And I called the police and gave them a statement on Fred Brunis, and they sent an officer here to tell you to come to the beach house but you didn't answer them either. And nobody answered Max's phone".

She was crying…but trying to control herself.

"I'm sorry. It's been a long couple of days and I just got tired of the phone ringing. I never dreamed that you would be calling me…"

He held for a little bit longer.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he didn't. I'm fine. Just tired".

Jennifer went and put the phone back on the hook, and turned the gate buzzer back on.

She held the phone out to Jonathan.

"Call Lt. Grey".

He grabbed the phone and called him, and Lt. Grey stated he was coming over right then.

"Darling… I am so sorry."

She wanted to be mad at him, but she could see he was being sincere. She kissed him.

"It's alright".

"So, tell me everything".

"Well, I never saw Fred. But I did see that nurse that I told you about, Leslie."

"Where were you?"

"In a house. If I looked out my window, I could see the Hart Industries building. I was about 20 stories up, so it must have been a penthouse."

"Did they take care of you?"

"Yes. I had food and water and a full bedroom with a television and a private bathroom. The whole works".

"So, what did you do?"

"I read some. I watched television. I found a camera in my room, so I put a box of books in front of the camera. I don't know if he knows about it yet, though. I did it yesterday morning, but I escaped last night".

"How did you get out?"

"I scraped the paint away from the window in the bathroom, and stepped out onto a terrace, and then walked over to a rose trellis, and climbed it all the way down, and then walked to Hart Industries."

He filled her in on going to the gala, and punching Fred.

"I know, I saw you on TV with your date".

"Darling, I only did that so that I could get in. He had promised I would be able to see you, I thought he meant in person. You had to have a date to get in".

"I understand".

He could tell she didn't like it.

Lt. Grey got there.

They told him everything.

"Unfortunately, we don't have anything to hold Fred on. The place where Jennifer says she was held isn't in his name. And we believe that he never returned to the apartment after he encountered you at the gala, Jonathan. His friend Leslie was spotted boarding a plane to Amsterdam."

"I want an order of protection, and if he ever steps foot in the US again, I want him arrested."

"You got it. I will call in a favor to the DA."

"Can you get him on anything? The bomb, holding me, any of it?"

"Unfortunately, no. Neither the bomb, nor your car had fingerprints or anything that would tie him to it. We looked at the footage from the hospital, and we believe he knocked you out and put you in the laundry cart and covered you up. That's probably why the security guy told you that he didn't see her being taken, because he didn't. My guess is they paid the nurses to say they saw you two leave together. We don't have anything tying him to the apartment either. He has his business here, but he can run that from anywhere".

Jennifer could feel that Jonathan was upset. She wrapped her arms around him trying to calm him down.

"So, that's it? He leaves the country and I have a court date for hitting him?"

"You hit him?" Jennifer looked at him incredulously.

Jonathan nodded. "4 times".

"If he doesn't show up for the court date, your charges will be dropped. If he does show up, I will too, and I will explain everything to the judge. You won't go down for this without him going down as well".

Jonathan nodded.

Lt. Grey left then, and told them he would be in touch.

Jennifer went to the kitchen and was looking in the fridge when Jonathan came in.

"Darling…what are you doing?"

"I was going to make you some dinner".

"Now? It's almost 11 p.m."

"I haven't eaten yet, Jonathan".

"I can think of a 1000 things I would much rather do than eat right now… with one thing being at the top of the list".

"Sorry….you know what they say about a balanced diet".

She started getting stuff out of the fridge and getting baking dishes out.

"Why don't I go run you a nice hot bubble bath?"

"That would be nice. But there will no lovey-dovey till after the dishes are done, Mr. H."

He looked at her like she was crazy.

"Go start the grill, darling".

She had gotten some chicken out, and was getting some spices together.

As soon as he left the room, she put all the groceries away.

She got out their covered dishes and set the table with them.

She lit two candles, and poured them both a water.

Jonathan came back into the kitchen.

"Darling, we are out of propane. No grill".

"Oh, that's alright. I decided to go with something simpler".

She walked over and started kissing his neck.

"Darling…didn't you say we had to do the dishes first?"

"I said they had to be clean first".

He leaned over and lifted the lid and saw that they were all empty.

She was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

He picked her up and blew out the candles and kissed her and carried her upstairs.

***Epilogue***

Monday morning, Jonathan and Jennifer went to Hart Industries. They gave a press statement stating that not only would they not do business with Fred Brunis, they wouldn't do business with any of his friends or supporters as well. They publicly thanked Stanley for bringing Jennifer home. Jennifer was right by his side throughout the reading of the statement.

Jonathan and Jennifer called Paige and Stanley into Jonathan's office.

Paige came first. She seemed nervous.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hart."

"Hi, we would like to tell you something, come on in".

She nervously walked in the office. Jennifer went over to her and hugged her.

"Thank you, we are sorry you got dragged into this".

Jonathan gave her a check for $1000.00.

"I hope this covers your expenses for the evening, and I appreciate you going with me".

"This isn't necessary. I am happy to help out".

She handed the check back.

"I'm glad you are ok, Mrs. Hart".

She left, just as Stanley came in.

"Stanley, I wanted to thank you for bringing Jennifer home, and I also wanted to apologize for not letting you in the night before. It had been a bad night."

"No apologies necessary, Mr. Hart".

"Now, about that drone that you used to get me to answer the door- Jennifer says you made it?"

"Yes, I did".

"Put together a presentation on it, by Friday, and Hart Industries just might make a deal with you to manufacture and sell it".

"Ok, thank you Mr. Hart!"

"Thank you for helping me Stanley".

"Anytime, Mrs. Hart. Anytime".

Stanley left, and Jonathan started grabbing his things.

"Darling, are you taking the day off?"

"Yes, actually. You have a doctor's appointment to have your burns looked at, and I am not letting you go alone. And we have somewhere to be this afternoon".

"Oh, ok. Well, I am glad I won't be alone".

She kissed him.

They headed to her appointment and got good news from the doctor that her burns were almost healed.

They headed home after that, and had arrived at Willow Pond just before her new Porsche was delivered.

They walked into the house, and she went upstairs to their room. He answered the gate and buzzed them in.

"Jennifer!".

She came downstairs and he blindfolded her.

He led her outside and signed for the delivery. After the delivery man drove away, he led her to the perfect spot on the driveway, and then counted to three and took off the blindfold.

She opened her eyes to see a beautiful white metallic Porsche Cayenne S, fully loaded.

"You are the best!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"This one has a better alarm system on it, darling. When you come home, or when you get out of it anywhere, I want you to lock it."

She nodded.

"And, I am upgrading the gate system. We will still have the buzzer, but we will have the coded entry as well. So, if this ever happens again, you will be able to just put in the special code at the gate and it will open. Plus, there will be a backup option if the power goes out-there will be a hand crank."

"Perfect".

She kissed him a few times.

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not in the last few minutes".

She kissed him a few more times.

"Thank you for my new car".

"You're welcome, but I didn't do it for you. I did it for Fred Brunis".

"You what?"

"Yeah. I did it for Fred Brunis. I promise you, he might not be in the country, and he might have gotten away with all of this so far, but he will be keeping tabs on you and me. And I wanted him to know that he wasn't going to break us. He wasn't going to keep us prisoners in our own home. I could have gotten you something a little less flashy or less expensive, but you loved your Porsche before, so why punish you like that? I want him to see that you and I are ok, in spite of him".

"I agree."

They walked inside.

"When is Max coming home?"

"Tomorrow".

"You mean, we have the house to ourselves for the night?"

"Yes."

"What are we going to do, Mr. H.?"

"Well, Mrs. H., we are going to order in your favorite from La Scala. We are going to climb in bed and watch whatever movie you want to, and sleep in as late as we want".

"That's all?"

"Why, was there something else you wanted to do?"

She smiled at him, and they walked inside.

Just before she sat down on the couch, he picked her up and carried her upstairs.

They entered their bedroom and she saw that there were rose petals spread all over the bed and room, and a warm bath waiting for her.

"That's more like it, Mr. H."

She kissed him.

"I am so glad you are home".


End file.
